In-firm week etiquette: receptions, dinners and thank-you emails

In-firm week is not only formal interviews. Between November 2 and 4, 2026, you will likely be invited to receptions, lunches and dinners, and you will send a steady stream of emails. Firms treat all of it as part of the interview. This guide covers the unwritten rules.

Receptions and cocktail events

Receptions let you meet more lawyers than a formal interview allows. They are also where firms see how you handle an unstructured room.

• Arrive within the first 30 minutes, and stay at least 45 minutes if you can.
• Aim for three or four real conversations, not twenty handshakes.
• Join groups at the edge, not the middle. Wait for a pause, introduce yourself, and ask the person who has been speaking a question.
• Ask about their work, not just the firm. "What are you working on this month?" gets better answers than "What is the culture like?"
• Keep drinks to one, or none. No one will notice if you hold a soda water all evening.
• Thank the student program coordinator on your way out. They are often closely involved in decisions.

Firms notice who comes and how long they stay. Students have reported firms tracking arrivals and departures through name tags, and advice on how long to stay ranges from about 30 minutes to most of the event (Canadian Law Forum). If a firm matters to you, stay longer.

Dinners

A dinner invitation is a good sign of interest. It is still an interview.

• Order something easy to eat in the middle of the price range, and follow the table's lead on appetizers and dessert.
• Share your attention across everyone at the table, including junior associates.
• Avoid heavy topics such as politics, salaries, or gossip about other firms. Shared interests, travel, and why people chose the firm are safe ground.
• Do not raise other offers or interviews unless asked directly. If asked, be brief and honest.
• At a small dinner, stay until the end. Leaving a large reception early is normal; leaving a table of six is noticed.

Most events are professional, but students do report occasional inappropriate comments at dinners and receptions (Canadian Law Forum). If something crosses a line, you do not have to laugh along, and you can raise it with your career office afterwards.

Thank-you emails

Short thank-you emails are common in the Toronto recruit. They rarely change a decision on their own, but a careless one can hurt.

• When: the same evening, or the next morning at the latest.
• Who: the lawyers who interviewed you, if you have their email addresses, or the student recruitment contact.
• How long: three or four sentences that mention one specific thing from your conversation.

Subject: Thank you for today's interview

Dear Ms. Chen,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. I especially enjoyed hearing how summer students contributed to the competition group's recent merger review. Our conversation confirmed my interest in your summer program.

Best regards,

[Your name]

Check names and firm names twice. A thank-you email that names the wrong firm is the most common mistake of the week.

Signalling your first choice

By Day 2 or 3, firms would like to know who will accept an offer, but the Law Society's procedures do not allow them to ask, directly or indirectly. You may choose to tell them. If one firm is your clear first choice, say so, ideally in person to the recruitment lead or a partner who interviewed you, and follow up in writing that evening. Keep any follow-up out of the no-contact period from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

• Use the words "first choice". Phrases like "top choice" or "one of my top firms" are read as hedging. Students who have been through the recruit stress that only the exact phrase is taken as a commitment (Canadian Law Forum).
• Timing matters. Telling a firm in your first interview can look premature. Most students do it late on Day 2 or early on Day 3; waiting until the afternoon of Day 3 is risky because firms may already have ranked their candidates.
• Make sure it reaches the decision-makers. Tell the recruitment lead or a partner on the hiring committee, not only a student you chatted with at a reception.
• Only tell one firm. Firms talk to each other, and a broken first-choice promise can follow you into articling and practice.
• If your first choice cuts you, you may ask to be released and then give your first choice to another firm. Students report doing this successfully on Day 3, though the later it happens, the harder it is (Canadian Law Forum).
• It is not a guarantee. Students report being cut on Day 3 after strong signals and a first-choice statement. Keep your other interviews going until you have an offer. Our first choice guide covers this in detail.
• Be specific about why. A reason tied to a practice group, a rotation, or a conversation with current students is far more credible than a bare statement.
• If you are undecided, say so honestly, and describe what you are still weighing.

If a firm presses you

The procedures bar firms from soliciting whether you would accept, but some students say they have felt pushed for first-choice language or for a list of the other firms they are seeing (Canadian Law Forum). You can politely decline: "I'm really enjoying getting to know the firm, and I'll let you know as soon as I've made my decision." If the pressure continues, tell your career office.

Keep track of everything

In-firm week moves fast. Keep a running note for each firm: who you met, what you discussed, what you promised, and how you felt afterwards. It will help you write thank-you emails and make a clear decision on offer day.